Military spending in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Military spending was 1.99 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.99 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 11.9%
World rank
68th
of 172 countries
All-time high
7.96 billion constant 2022 US$
in 1987
All-time low
40.81 million constant 2022 US$
in 1920
Years of data
116
1908–2023

Military spending in Bulgaria, 1908–2023

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B190819652023

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

In 2023, military spending in Bulgaria stood at 1.99 billion constant 2022 US$.

The figure is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 141.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Bulgaria peaked at 7.96 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1987 and was at its lowest, 40.81 million constant 2022 US$, in 1920.

Bulgaria ranks 68th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 168.25 million constant 2022 US$ 155.74 million constant 2022 US$ 180.76 million constant 2022 US$ 2
1910s 191.55 million constant 2022 US$ 55.91 million constant 2022 US$ 269.21 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1920s 90.58 million constant 2022 US$ 40.81 million constant 2022 US$ 115.54 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1930s 201.49 million constant 2022 US$ 105.49 million constant 2022 US$ 339.69 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1940s 271.26 million constant 2022 US$ 186.13 million constant 2022 US$ 400.09 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1950s 984.26 million constant 2022 US$ 296.17 million constant 2022 US$ 1.22 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 1.97 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.23 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.91 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 3.87 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.25 billion constant 2022 US$ 4.49 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 6.26 billion constant 2022 US$ 4.19 billion constant 2022 US$ 7.96 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 1.28 billion constant 2022 US$ 560.37 million constant 2022 US$ 4.45 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 911.16 million constant 2022 US$ 593.91 million constant 2022 US$ 1.37 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 1.01 billion constant 2022 US$ 755.58 million constant 2022 US$ 2.05 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 1.82 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.75 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.99 billion constant 2022 US$ 4

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 65 Slovakia 2.71 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 66 Yemen 2.45 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 67 Lithuania 2.17 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 69 Uzbekistan 1.78 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 70 Angola 1.77 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 71 Bahrain 1.75 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Bulgaria?
Military spending in Bulgaria was 1.99 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 7.96 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1987.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 40.81 million constant 2022 US$ in 1920.
How does Bulgaria rank for military spending?
Bulgaria ranks 68th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
Is military spending rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 141.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.